DEP water/sewer billing report, January-June 2002

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

Meter Refusal Surcharge

DEP mailed warning notices to property owners about the meter refusal surcharge during October/November 1999 and a second mailing was issued in March 2000 to properties which did not respond to the first mailing. Meetings with multifamily housing organizations and managers were held during August-October 1999 and a mailing was sent to major real estate managing agents in September. The surcharge warning notices led to record numbers of phone calls to DEP’s Call Centers and submission of meter installation requests by more than 75,000 properties. On July 1 approximately 43,000 surcharge bills were issued to unmetered properties which had not submitted requests for meter installations. The number of surcharged properties has since been reduced to approximately 23,000 due to meter installations and cancellation of surcharges for administrative reasons, particularly issues of defective notification of owners.

DEP conducted negotiations to meter New York Housing Authority (“NYCHA”) buildings during Summer/Fall 1999. The agreement was finalized during February 2000. Under this agreement NYCHA will meter its own buildings at its own cost over the next three years and will cooperate with DEP on a host of water efficiency programs while being provided several years of “flat-rate” transitional billing. Work on NYCHA’s Staten Island properties has begun and the contract for the Queens properties has been awarded. Contracts for the properties in the Bronx were bid during Summer 2001. Commencement of work has been delayed by the relocation of most of NYCHA’s central staff after September 11, 2001 from offices at 250 Broadway and 75 Park Place.

Urunemorable Properties

Part of the shortfall among both large and small meter installations is associated with the discovery of properties which are unoccupied, sealed, abandoned or otherwise not consuming water and therefore, unmeterable. This number is estimated at 5,000 - 7,000 Citywide. 1-2% of properties have been found with plumbing systems in a state of imminent failure, preventing meter installation until repairs have been effected. Owners with properties in a state of “imminent failure” are being informed as part of the surcharge process that DEP will provide them an additional three months time to complete repairs and install their meter through the Reimbursable Metering Program. In the case of vacant buildings, DEP recommends a solution of requiring metering (and any associated service line repairs) when the property is sold or transferred or when a renovation occurs (Local Law 53/1985). 12

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